Time Will Tell
by TheCaptainandThePostulant
Summary: Eighteen-year-old Maria Rainer becomes the wife of naval hero Georg von Trapp when their parents set them up in an arranged marriage. Neither one of them want this and know that it was all part of a business transaction between their fathers, but as time goes on will the two of them see past that and fall in love? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello everyone and thank you for deciding to come and check out my story! I've seen this kind of fic done for Anna/Bates in Downton Abbey and I thought that it sounded interesting, so I decided to do the same kind of thing for Maria/Georg and I hope that you all like it. I want to continue writing "Save Me" and "Not a Child Anymore" but I honestly have no inspiration whatsoever at the moment, so if anyone can help I would be so appreciative! Any-who, I hope that you all enjoy reading this!**

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In the gentle glow of the lamp-light, Georg watched in silence as his bride slumbered on her stomach next to him. She looked the epitome of peace with both arms tucked under her pillow, her soft lips barely parted and her eyelashes resting flat against her cheeks. The blush that had risen in her cheeks when he had been making love to her just a little while earlier was still there and he thought that all it did was add to her natural beauty.

When a fair curl slid from behind her ear and fell into her face he brought his hand out from beneath the quilt and eased it back, his fingers grazing her cheek before he drew his hand back. Ever since the two of them had met just a week ago she had been rather timid and quiet around him and he didn't blame her one bit. He was her husband in every possible way now, yes, but that didn't mean that he was no longer a stranger in her eyes.

She knew little about him and his past just as he knew little about her and her past. All the two of them knew about one another was their name, their age and that they'd both been forced into this unwanted marriage. Over the last week he had been as kind and as gentle with her as possible and that had brought them a little closer, but she still went stiff in his arms if he walked up behind her and wound them around her and he hated it.

That night, when the two of them had come to bed for their wedding night, he had seen pure terror in her eyes. She had attempted to brush it off when he had taken her waist in his hands and drawn her close, but her voice had trembled and he had known that she had been terrified. She had been terrified at the thought of their first night together, the thought of spending the rest of her life with him and the thought of being his wife.

Seeing that fear in her eyes had caused him to feel physical pain in his chest. He didn't love her, not yet anyway, but that didn't mean that he didn't care about her. There was rather a large age-gap between the two of them – she had just turned eighteen and he was due to turn twenty-five in just under a fortnight – and he was positive that knowing that made everything harder for her. She was just so overwhelmed and he felt terrible.

When he felt the quilt that was covering them move he was brought out of his thoughts and when he looked at Maria he caught her looking back at him through those clear blue eyes of hers. He offered her a smile after the two of them had gazed into each other's eyes for a time and, to his surprise, she gave him a tender smile of her own in response. 'Are you all right?' He whispered as he gave her face a stroke with the back of his hand.

'Yes, thank you.' She replied.

'Good,' He pulled back his hand. 'I'm glad.'

After she had looked at him for a second she reached for his hand which was resting in the space between them on the bed, her heart racing in her chest as she took it in hers and slid her fingers through the gaps in his. 'I…I know that we didn't want this and that we don't know much about each other, but I do want to be a good wife for you and make you happy.' Her hand trembled in his as she swept her thumb gently across his knuckles.

When he felt the trembling of her hand he lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it, the two of them sharing a smile when he tightened his hold of it and sighed. 'I think you will and I swear that I'll try my best to do the same for you. You remember what I said, don't you? About how I'm not going to be here in two weeks because I'll be going back to the sea?' He watched her nod. 'I'll write, I promise, but I'm unsure of when I'll be back.'

'What shall I do when you're gone?' She asked.

'You can do whatever you please. You can go and see your parents, you can go and see my mother, you can go shopping or you can stay here.' He replied. 'If you want to go out and do something whilst I'm gone, Maria, you can go and do it. You don't need my permission.'

She smiled. 'Is it all right if I ask you a question?'

'Of course.' He said.

She took a deep breath as her heart started to race. 'Do you want to have children?'

He laid beside her in silence for a moment before responding. 'Do you?'

'I think I'd like to.' She nodded. 'I've always loved the idea of being a mother and, if I've got a baby to look after, I wouldn't feel so alone when you're away for months at a time.'

Georg gave her hand a gentle squeeze. 'Let's not make any solid plans for now. You've got enough to come to terms with right now without throwing a baby into the mix. Let's just continue as we are and not do anything different and then, if our lovemaking does result in you falling pregnant, we'll sit down together and have a talk about what we're going to do.' He watched her think about his words for a time before she shuffled closer to him.

'I think that's a good idea.' She admitted.

Her head was now inches from his own and she was lying so close to him that he couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her. When she looked up into his eyes once he'd done so he thought for a moment that he'd pushed his luck, but when she cuddled against him he realised that his embrace was welcome. 'This feels rather nice.' She stroked the coarse patch of dark hairs on his chest with her fingertips whilst her head laid on his shoulder.

'It does, doesn't it?' He grazed her nose with his after turning his head towards her.

When he pulled back a little to look into her eyes she draped her arm over his stomach. 'We're going to be all right together…aren't we?' She asked him whilst holding him close.

'I think so,' He ran his hand along the curve of her waist. 'You look tired.'

She let out a little giggle. 'I am a little.'

'Go back to sleep, Maria,' He instructed before stretching to turn out the lamp that was sat on his nightstand. 'We've both had a long day and you'll be exhausted in the morning.'

'Will you…?' She whispered into the darkness.

He laid in silence for a second. 'Will I…?'

'Will you kiss me first? Just once?' She asked.

Even though the room was pitch black he was able to tell that she was blushing terribly.

He let his eyes adjust to the darkness before turning his head toward her again, a little smile curving his lips as he lifted his hand to cup her cheek and brush his thumb against the skin there. 'You are so beautiful…' He said to her before capturing her lower lip in a kiss that was chaste yet delicious and made her whimper when he peeled back from her. He chuckled at the sound before pecking her forehead and settling with her in his hold.

'Goodnight, Georg.' She pressed her face into the side of his neck.

'Goodnight, Maria,' He replied with a stroke of her back. 'Sleep well.'

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**Author's Note: If you got this far thank you all so much for taking the time to read this first chapter! I really hope that you enjoyed it and please review if you did. Also, if you want more, please let me know in your review! :) x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So I'm not 100% sure about how arranged marriages work, but I found some information on the internet that I HOPE was correct! If I've made mistakes, however, I apologise for that. Nevertheless, I hope that you all enjoy reading this chapter :)**

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Her husband's breath beating against the side of her neck made Maria smile as she held him close in the aftermath of their lovemaking the morning after next, her lips pressed against his forehead as her shoulder cushioned his head and she brushed her fingertips through his hair. Even though Georg had made love to her a number of times since their wedding night, this was the first time _she'd_ ever held _him_ in her arms in the aftermath.

He had always been the one to draw her into his arms whilst burying a kiss into her hair once he had made love to her and, when he had lain down next to her this time, she had been waiting for him to draw her into his arms but instead he had shuffled into hers. It had been such a simple thing for him to do, but it had made her heart swell in her chest and she had been unable to resist pressing her lips against his temple in a lingering kiss.

The two of them had been resting there together for some time now, Georg tracing the curve of her side with his hand whilst she stroked his hair and revelled in his contented sighs, and neither of them were in a rush to move. 'Georg, I have a question.' Maria gave his back a stroke with the hand that was keeping him in place against her, a gentle laugh leaving her lips when he pulled back from her neck to look up into her eyes with a smirk.

'That doesn't surprise me,' He replied. 'What is it?'

She sucked on her lower lip for a second whilst she thought about how she was going to word what she wanted to ask him. 'Since our wedding I've wondered something. We both know that we didn't want this, but if you didn't want it then why did you go through with it? You could have rebelled and left Aigen so that you didn't have to do it.' She told him, her hold of him tightening when he sighed and reached up to grasp her free hand in his.

'I went through with it because father decided that it was time for me to start settling down. You might not know this, Maria, but some sailors have quite a reputation for being ladies' men and…and I'm one of them.' He looked up into her eyes, but when he didn't see anger in them he continued. 'Father threatened to fabricate a rumour and ruin me if I didn't go through with this marriage.' He ran his thumb across her knuckles.

'What was the rumour?' She raised her brow.

He sighed. 'I don't know and I'm not even sure if he was just saying that so that I would agree to this arranged marriage, but I wasn't too keen on taking that risk if I'm honest.'

'I understand.' She reassured him.

He gave her a tender smile before releasing her hand in order to stroke her cheek with the back of his. 'I won't be untrue to you when I go back out to sea. I know that you and I didn't become man and wife out of love, but I do care about you and to make you think that I don't is the last thing I want.' He settled in the circle of her arms and kissed her on the neck when she smiled at his words, his hand caressing her stomach and her waist.

'I suppose you'll want to know why I agreed to go through with it.' She said after a time.

'I do, but you don't have to tell me if you aren't ready.' He replied.

'No, I don't mind.' She shook her head. 'Father has always had a lot of problems with his health and he needs to see the doctor each month and needs a certain medication which is quite expensive. He kept all of the money that he used for his treatments in a box in our sitting room, but he lost it all when a fire broke out one night. He couldn't get to it, and so he left it behind and it got destroyed along with everything else in the explosion.'

She sighed when she felt him stroke her waist.

'We moved in with my aunt after the fire, but after a while he said that we couldn't live on pity anymore. He wanted to have his own home again and to be able to pay for his own treatment, but he couldn't work because of his condition and mother couldn't work since she had to care for him and my aunt and so he suggested an arranged marriage. He said I was just a burden because I didn't work, so his idea would kill two birds with one stone.'

She fell silent for a time after that and lowered her gaze to Georg's chest.

'I know I should be pleased that he's able to go to the doctor and get the medication he needs with the money you paid him, but I just wish that he hadn't gone to such levels to be able to afford it.' She met her husband's gaze as she stroked her fingers against the hair on his forearm. 'I don't want you to think I hate being here, because I don't. You're so gentle with me, Georg, and I'm grateful. It's just that I miss everything about home.'

He nodded. 'I know you do, Maria, and that's understandable. I have to say, though, that even though we were forced into this relationship I'm glad I ended up with you. You are so beautiful, so gentle and humorous, and I've enjoyed every moment I've spent with you so far.' He stopped stroking her waist so that he could bring his hand up to her face and tuck a lock of her hair back behind her ear. 'I think you're going to make me very happy.'

'You do?' She raised her brow.

'Yes.' He smiled.

She returned his smile with one of her own before moving into his arms and allowing her head to rest on his chest once he had turned onto his back, her eyes drifting closed for a moment when he ran his hand over her head and kissed the crown of her head. 'Would you like to do something after breakfast?' He asked once he had lain in silence with her for a time, Maria bringing her head to her shoulder so that she could gaze into his eyes.

'Like what?' She asked.

'I don't know,' He shrugged after kissing her forehead. 'We could go for a drive around, we could go and do some window-shopping in Innsbruck…we could do whatever you want.'

She let out a sigh of happiness whilst draping her arm over his middle and snuggling into him. 'I think I'd like to cuddle until breakfast and then go for a walk around the grounds with you. Then, if you still want to, we could go to Innsbruck after we've had our lunch?'

'That sounds like a marvellous idea.' He said whilst drawing her closer.

She allowed him to press a soft kiss onto her lips before she settled in his embrace and closed her eyes, her lips curling into a smile when she buried her face in his neck and he started to run his fingers through her hair. Even though she still didn't know everything there was to know about him, she felt like she knew far more about himself and his past now than she had on their wedding night and that helped her feel so much closer to him.

So much.

* * *

It was several hours later when the two of them were sat across from one another at a table in a café in Innsbruck and Georg was unable to keep himself from glancing over at his wife. She looked so captivating as she sat across from him with a menu in her hands, a blonde curl falling into her face as she tried to decide what cake she wanted to order. Before leaving their villa after lunch she had insisted that she put on some make-up and he had agreed to wait for her to do so – even though in his eyes she didn't need it at all.

Now that she had the mascara and lipstick on, however, and he was able to take his time looking at her since he was no longer driving, he had to say that it looked radiant on her. The mascara that she had applied to her lashes brought out the blue in her eyes a little more and the nude lipstick that she had applied to her lips made them seem even softer than he already knew they were. He could sit there for hours on end thinking about how incredibly beautiful she was, but when she stroked his hand he returned to the present.

'Is everything all right?' She asked him. 'You seem a little…preoccupied.'

He smiled at her in response before taking hold of her fingers and bringing her hand up to his lips, her skin smooth as he kissed the back of her hand and lingered for a moment whilst holding her gaze. 'Everything is fine.' He reassured her whilst letting her hand go before picking up his menu and taking a look at it. 'Have you decided what cake you want to order yet?' He asked her before looking up from his menu in order to meet her gaze.

'I think I'll have sachertorte.' She nodded. 'I had it all the time at cafés with mother.'

Georg closed his menu before leaning back against his chair. 'I think I'll have the same.'

'What'll we be doing after we've finished up here?' She asked.

'What would you _like_ to do after we've finished here?' He raised his brow.

She giggled with a good-natured shake of her head. 'Georg, we've been doing everything that _I_ want to do since we got here. I want to do something that you want to do before we drive home, so think of something and whatever that is we'll do it after we've eaten.'

She sipped at her tea whilst watching as he tried to think of something that the two of them could do after leaving the café and when a smile appeared on his lips she could tell that an idea had hit him. 'I've thought of something that we could do, but we would have to spend the night in a hotel because I don't feel like driving for two hours afterwards.'

'What idea is that?' She smiled.

'We do some more shopping until five o'clock and then we take a forty-five-minute drive to Tirol so we can watch the sun set over the Karwendel Alps. There's a clearing we can get to in the car and we'll get a good view of it.' He told her. 'If you don't feel like going to a hotel tonight then we don't have to drive to Tirol, but I honestly think you'd like it.'

'No, that sounds wonderful!' She reached for his hand. 'I love watching the sun set.'

Georg traced circles into the back of her hand with his thumb before a waitress walked over to their table to take their orders. 'Two sachertortes please.' He said to the young woman before she wrote down the order in her notepad and glanced at him with a smile.

'Will that be all?' She asked.

'Yes, thank you.' He nodded before she turned on her heel and left him and Maria.

After looking at his wife for a moment he reached over the table and drew the back of his forefinger down her cheek. 'Have I mentioned how beautiful you look in that dress?'

'Once or twice.' She smirked.

He drew back his hand. 'Well you do.'

'Thank you.' She blushed before picking up her cup of tea and taking another sip.

As he watched her do so, Georg sighed as he knew that she didn't see herself as he did. He knew that she didn't think she looked radiant and he knew that she thought that she looked rather plain, but he thought that she was the most beautiful woman in that café.

And nothing would ever change his mind on the matter.

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Maria snuggled into her husband's side when she was sat next to him in the back seat of his car and there was a blanket around her that night, a gentle yawn escaping her as she laid her head on his shoulder and felt the hold he had of her tighten. He had been right when he had said that she would like watching the sun set over the Karwendel Alps. The colours were so vibrant and the sight of the sun setting behind the alps was so perfect.

The whole thing felt rather romantic in her opinion. She and Georg were hidden away in the car in the clearing, her head on his shoulder whilst he held her in his arms and drew the blanket further around her every so often to ensure she didn't get cold. He was the definition of a gentleman. After a few seconds she tilted her head back on his shoulder and felt a surge of warmth course through her when he softly brushed her lips with his.

'Georg, is it all right if I ask you something?' She almost whispered.

He chuckled. 'You don't have to keep asking. If you have a question, Maria, just ask it.'

'Do…do you love me?' She inquired once she had mustered up the courage.

He frowned in response. 'How can I love you when I've barely known you for a week?'

She felt her heart sink like a rock in her chest at his response and she could tell – when he cupped her cheek in his hand – that the expression on her face had made it known to him that he'd hurt her. 'I didn't intend for that to come out so harsh, Maria, I swear it.'

She forbade the tears that were in her eyes to escape and dance down her cheeks. 'You must have _some_ feelings for me though,' Her voice trembled whilst she gazed up at him. 'If you had no feelings for me whatsoever you wouldn't make love to me and you wouldn't kiss me like you do.' Her eyes fell closed when he kissed her brow and stroked her face.

'I have got feelings for you, Maria, but having feelings for a person and being in love are two different things.' He explained to her whilst running a hand up and down her back in the hope that it would bring her some comfort. 'In time these feelings that we have for each other might turn into love, but we aren't in love with one another yet. We can't be, it's still too soon.'

She looked at him through unshod tears. 'So, we…we should just see what happens?'

'Yes,' He tightened his hold of her. 'We should just see what happens.'

When a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek he wiped it off of her skin with his fingers, a gentle sniffle leaving her when he took her chin on his finger and gave it a stroke with his thumb. 'Come here.' He whispered before bringing her face closer to his and capturing her lower lip in a kiss that was gentle, warm and soft all at the same time.

The smack of their lips echoed in the silence of the clearing when their kiss reached its end sometime later and, when he opened his eyes to see that hers still held some tears, he brought her into his lap and wrapped his arms back around her. 'I didn't mean to hurt you,' His lips grazed her forehead as he spoke to her. 'I'm just not the best with words.'

'It's all right,' She reassured him whilst curling her fingers into his shirt and gazing into his eyes. 'I forgive you and I think that we should just forget about it now and move on.' Her eyes fell closed when he lowered his head to press his lips against hers in one more kiss, another yawn leaving her once they'd parted and she had snuggled further into him.

'Shall we head back to Innsbruck so that we can get checked into the hotel?' He asked.

'I've just gotten comfortable.' She stroked his jawline with her fingers. 'Ten minutes?'

'Ten minutes.' He nodded whilst tightening his hold of her. 'Ten minutes…'

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Her skin was soft to the touch as he stroked her cheek over and over with the backs of his fingers when he was lying in silence beside her later that night, her head settled on his shoulder whilst one of her legs were tangled with his beneath the quilt and she slept soundly in his hold. She hadn't even been his wife for a week and yet he knew that when he returned to the sea it was going to feel so foreign sleeping alone. Without her there.

He wasn't going to open his eyes every morning to find her snoozing in his arms with her head on his shoulder. The sound of her gentle snores weren't going to be the first thing he heard every morning and kissing her hairline wasn't going to be the first thing he did. He was going to be apart from her every morning and night for goodness knew how long and there was no doubt in his mind that he would miss her. It was going to be so painful.

The thing that hurt him most when he thought about going back to war was knowing she was going to have their villa all to herself. The sound of her footsteps would echo when she walked through the foyer of the silent house. She would sit alone in her chair in the sitting room knowing that he wouldn't be coming in to join her once he had finished up in his study. She was going to be by herself for several months and knowing that hurt him.

As though she could hear his thoughts as she slept, Maria stirred and stroked his calve with her foot beneath the quilt before moving closer to him and kissing him on the neck. 'It's late,' She murmured against his skin. 'Turn off the lamp and get some sleep, Georg.' She then settled down in his arms and was asleep again in moments, her breath warming the side of his neck before he turned off the lamp like she'd said and kissed her crown.

He did wonder about whether or not she would be all right when he left her in less than a fortnight and returned to the sea, but he also knew that she was far stronger than he gave her credit for and knew that – as long as he responded to the letters she sent him – her spirits would be kept up and she would somehow manage until he came back to her. It was going to be so hard to be apart from her for so long, but he knew it'd all be okay.

_She_ would be okay.

_They_…would be okay.

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**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter and - like I said at the beginning - I apologise if I got anything wrong! If I did, please correct me but please be gentle as well, hehe! Nevertheless, I hope that you all enjoyed reading this chapter and please let me know what you thought with a review if you have the time. I'll see you all in the next chapter :) x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I want to thank you all so much for all of the lovely reviews you've left on the first two chapters of this fan fiction. I never expected people to like it as much as they do, but I am so grateful to all of you who have read, reviewed, followed and favourited this fan fiction so far! I doubt that there will be a chapter up tomorrow as I'm busy all day, but there might be one posted on Tuesday if I have the time. If not, there will definitely be one on Wednesday! Nevertheless, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter :)**

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From where she was stood in front of the floor-length mirror in her bedroom whilst she pulled on her black elbow-length gloves, a smile crept across Maria's lips as she watched her husband turn down the collar on his jacket and approach her from behind. He wound both arms around her waist once he'd reached her before kissing her on the shoulder, a sigh falling from her lips when he brushed two more kisses against her neck and jawline.

'What?' She giggled once he had stared at her through the mirror for several moments.

'Nothing,' He smiled in response. 'I was just thinking about how radiant you look tonight.'

She gave him a good-natured eye-roll whilst pulling on her other glove. 'Such a charmer.'

He wasn't being a charmer though.

He truly believed that the dress she had chosen to wear for the house-party they were hosting that night looked magnificent on her. It was made of a royal blue material which hugged her figure in all the right places, it had thin spaghetti straps to hold it up and it ended just below her knees. She had chosen to wear the diamond necklace and earrings that he had bought her a few days ago too and they made her look all the more perfect.

'I'm running so late,' She sighed. 'I haven't even done my hair yet.'

He turned her in his arms so that she was facing him before lying his hands on the small of her back and pulling her close. 'You don't need to do anything extravagant, Maria. You would look divine with just a braid.' He lifted his hands from her back and brought them to her face to cradle it after he had said that, Maria's gaze leaving his for a second and falling to his lips before her tongue slid out to dampen hers and she looked at him again.

He chuckled at the faint blush that arose in her cheeks when he smiled at her, the pads of his thumbs running across her cheeks just before he drew her face closer to his and pressed his lips against her own. In the beginning it was a simple and chaste kiss, gentle brushes of their lips, but when her hands came to settle on his waist through his jacket and she took a step closer to him, he traced the seam of her bottom lip with his tongue.

She opened her mouth beneath his at his coaxing which enabled him to deepen the kiss, her arms snaking around his middle so that she could pull him flush against her when his tongue found hers. Moments later, one of his hands left her face and started to thread itself through her hair, the sensation of his fingers massaging her scalp dragging a sigh from her throat. She loved it when he messed so gently with her hair whilst kissing her.

Far sooner than either of them would've liked, the need to come up for air arose and so – after leaving a final tender kiss to her lips – Georg pulled his wife's bottom lip through his teeth and drew back from her. 'Goodness…' Maria rasped with both arms still around his waist and her chest still pressed flush to his, Georg smirking at how dishevelled her hair looked as he ran a hand over it before kissing her softly on the temple. 'That was…'

'Incredible?' He chuckled.

She let out a breathless giggle. 'Incredible.'

He allowed her to lie her head on his chest and cuddle against him whilst she caught her breath, his fingers running through her hair as his chin rested atop her head and he was able to hear her breathing evening out. 'Are you excited for tonight?' He inquired after her breathing had settled, a smile curving his lips when she lifted her head and nodded.

'I am.' She told him. 'You didn't have to throw such a large party for me though.'

He stroked her cheek. 'I want you to get to know some friends of mine so that I can be certain you'll be looked out for and you won't be alone all the time when I go back out to sea. I think I'll introduce you to Baroness Elberfield and her husband first. She's one of my elder acquaintances, but she's charming and I'm positive that you'll both get on well.'

'Would you think me foolish if I told you that the thought of you leaving makes me sad?' She asked whilst curling her fingers into the back of his jacket. 'I know we haven't been married for long and I know…I know we're not madly in love, but the thought of going to sleep and waking up alone upsets me. I've gotten so used to having your arms around me.'

He shook his head before tucking a blonde curl back beneath her ear and sighing gently. 'I don't think you're foolish for being upset about me leaving, Maria, not in the slightest. Your life has changed so much over the last two weeks and now I'm leaving you alone for the next few months before you've had the time to settle in here. I feel awful about it.'

'It's not your fault,' She reminded him. 'It's just the way that things are at the moment.'

He smiled. 'Knowing that I'll be coming home to _you _will help keep my spirits up.'

She giggled in response before rising up onto her tiptoes to press her lips against his. 'I promise that I'll be waiting at the train station to give you a proper welcome home, too.'

'I won't be able to keep my hands off of you after months of being kept apart from you; you understand that, don't you?' He smirked. 'I can't say for certain that I won't end up kissing you senseless in front of everyone present.' He hugged her to him for a moment.

'You'll hear no complaints from me.' She whispered.

The two of them shared a smile before he brushed her lips with his in the gentlest kiss.

'I should head downstairs and make sure the servants have finished setting up.' He said.

'I'll be down as soon as I've done my hair.' She replied once he had let go of her.

He gave her a nod in response before kissing her cheek and turning to leave their room.

Once she was alone, Maria sighed to herself as she walked to her dressing table and sat down. He had told her last week that he couldn't be in love with because it was too early on, but she was certain that there must be _something_ there. Perhaps he was attempting to keep himself from falling in love with her because he didn't know if he'd make it back.

Perhaps he didn't want to fall in love with her and for her to fall in love with him in case he was killed at sea. If that was true, however, what he didn't realise was that it would be just as painful for her if he was killed before telling her that he was in love with her.

He was her husband. He was her lover. He was her best friend.

He was her…_everything._

* * *

Georg had known that it wouldn't take long for his wife to befriend Baroness Elberfield.

The elder woman was so kind-hearted and loving and he was certain that she would take Maria under her wing and look after her whilst he was gone. He had known the Baroness since he had been a boy and – if he was honest – there wasn't another woman he trusted more with Maria's well-being. She had promised him that she would telephone Maria each night to make sure that she was all right and so that she had someone she could talk to.

He knew that she would stick to that promise as well.

His place at the drinks table gave him a good view of Maria and the Baroness as the two of them sat together at a table on the other side of the room, and it pleased him to see that his wife was smiling and laughing at the things the Baroness told her. She had such a gorgeous smile and, if she smiled at someone, it was impossible for them not to return it on account of how infectious it was. Like everything else about her, it was so perfect.

Once he had watched his wife chat with the Baroness for a couple of minutes he turned his head to see Max, his closest friend, approaching him with a glass of whiskey in hand. When he reached him he sipped at his scotch and looked over at Maria before releasing a sigh. 'I'm not questioning your judgement, Georg, but she's still a child,' He pointed out to him. 'When you told me that you had found a wife I thought she would be a bit older.'

'_She_ has a name, you know.' Georg told him before turning to pick up a champagne flute. 'I know that Maria's young and I know that you don't think she'll be able to cope, but you don't know her. She's mature for her age and, so far, she's coping quite well with all the demands that being my wife and Baroness have thrown at her.' He sipped his champagne before Maria glanced over at him from where she sat and they exchanged a warm smile.

'And she makes you happy?' Max asked.

Georg nodded. 'Yes, she makes me very happy.'

'Well, that's something at least,' Max chortled. 'You won't be so miserable all the time.'

Georg rolled his eyes in response before watching as Maria left her seat and started to approach him. 'Is everything all right?' He asked whilst wrapping his arm around her waist once she had reached him, his lips grazing her cheek whilst she nodded at him. 'Allow me to introduce you to an old friend of mine; Max Dettweiler.' He glanced at Max.

'Enough of the old.' Max scoffed.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Herr Dettweiler.' She said whilst offering her hand to him.

'The pleasure's all mine, my dear,' He smiled before lowering his head to kiss the smooth skin at the back of her hand. 'But please, call me Max. There is no need for formalities.'

She leaned against Georg's chest once Max had dropped her hand before he traced the curve of her side through her dress with his hand. 'Would you like a glass of champagne, Maria?' He asked her when she gazed up into his eyes once he'd pulled her closer to him.

'Yes please,' She smiled before he got one from the table and gave it to her. 'Thank you.'

She then took a sip of the cool beverage before Max said: 'Have you made any plans?'

'What kind of plans?' Georg asked.

'Have you decided what you both want for the future? Children and such?' He inquired.

Maria looked up at her husband and waited for him to respond.

'We haven't spoken much about it as of yet.' He gave her a squeeze. 'It's still early days.'

Max nodded. 'You do _want_ children though, Maria?'

'Yes, at some point.' She admitted. 'I…I want to wait a little while first though.'

Georg was able to tell that she was feeling a little uncomfortable talking about personal things with Max, which was understandable given she'd only known him for a minute, and so he was somewhat grateful when he said that he had to go and speak with Herr Bauer. 'I apologise for Max.' He shook his head once the two of them were alone. 'He could well be the nosiest person you're ever going to come across.' He smiled when Maria chuckled.

'How did the two of you meet?' She asked.

'We entered the navy at the same time.' He explained. 'He kept following me around like some kind of lost puppy, but in the end he began to grow on me a little and here we are.'

She smiled before sipping her champagne.

'Are you enjoying yourself?' He raised his brow whilst giving her waist a gentle massage.

'I am.' She nodded. 'I wouldn't mind sharing a dance with you though.'

He thought for a moment. 'We haven't had a moment alone together all night. How would you feel if I suggested we go somewhere a bit more private where we can dance and not be disturbed?' He set down his champagne flute before looking into Maria's bright eyes.

'Where is this private place?' She allowed him to take her champagne flute from her.

'Come with me.' He took her hand in his and let her lace their fingers before he started to lead her through the ballroom and toward the French doors that opened out onto the garden terrace. Once he had closed the door behind him he opened the gate and guided her down the steps that led into the back garden, Maria following him whilst he led her down the path and around a corner. 'I don't believe you've gone to the gazebo, have you?'

She shook her head. 'I didn't even know there was one.'

He chuckled before stopping for a moment to press a kiss onto her cheek. 'Even better.'

The two of them shared a smile before he continued to guide her through the garden, a soft gasp of delight escaping her when – after they had walked together for a couple of minutes longer – the gazebo that he had mentioned came into view. It was made of glass and stood alone amidst the trees. She was sure she had never seen anything so perfect. 'Oh, Georg, it's so gorgeous.' She shook her head whilst giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

'It's yours.' He told her.

She looked up at him with happiness in her eyes. 'It is?'

'I haven't been in it for years.' He admitted. 'If you like it so much then you can have it.'

She rested her free hand on his chest before rising onto her tiptoes to peck his cheek. 'Thank you so much.' She whispered before returning to her original height.

'You're welcome.' He smiled. 'Now, shall we go and have that dance you've been wanting?'

'There's no music.' She said.

He shrugged. 'We don't need music to dance.'

'You're right.' She swept her thumb across his knuckles before following him toward the gazebo. He opened the door after the two of them had reached it and permitted her to enter ahead of him, the expression of happiness that he could see on her face causing a pleased smile to curl his lips when he entered the gazebo after her and closed the door. 'Would you mind terribly if I bring a few things in here and turn it into a reading room?'

He walked up to her and took her face in his hands before pressing his lips against hers. 'I don't mind, no, but you don't have to ask me if you can make changes to something I've given you. This gazebo is yours now and you can bring whatever you like in here and turn it into anything you want.' He let his hands drop from her face then before he ran them across her shoulders and down her arms, her eyes shining when he took her hands in his.

He then walked backwards into the centre of the gazebo and brought her with him, the two of them smiling when he released her hands and rested his on her waist so he could pull her flush against him. He didn't start dancing with her until she had wound her arms around his neck, but when he did he pressed a delicate kiss to her temple before pulling back to look at her. 'The last time we danced like this I couldn't look at you.' She sighed.

He could remember.

The last time the two of them had slow-danced together like this had been during their wedding when they had had their wedding dance. He had known that the last thing she'd wanted to do was slow-dance with him, especially since she hadn't wanted to be married to him in the first place, and that had been obvious to him by how she had stared at his chest the whole time. He hadn't felt miffed with her for it, however, quite the reverse.

He had felt terrible for her.

Even more-so when he'd seen her father chastising her for being miserable afterwards.

He had wanted to walk over to them and give her father a piece of his mind, but he had known that that would have just made things ten times worse and so he had waited until Maria had gone outside and then he had followed her. She had asked him to leave her in peace when he had joined her on the bench, but when she had started to sob he'd pulled her into his arms and permitted her to hide her face into his neck until she had settled.

He was certain that that was one of the ways in which he had started to gain her trust.

When he felt her tease the hair at the nape of his neck with her fingers he returned to the present and drew her closer, his thumbs stroking her waist through her dress as he looked into her eyes and continued swaying from side-to-side with her. 'Have I kept you happy over the last week or so?' He asked with a raise of his brow. 'We haven't done too much, I know that, but I've been a little more concerned about making you comfortable.'

'I never thought that I would be saying this, but right now I'm happier than I've been in years.' She told him. 'You're a wonderful husband, Georg, and there's nothing that I love more than being able to tell people that I'm yours. You're always so gentle and take such good care of me and – now that things have settled down a bit – I can't imagine being so happy with any other man.' Her heart raced within her chest at how Georg gazed at her.

He had looked at her with tenderness in his eyes countless times since the two of them had been pronounced man and wife at their wedding, but what she was able to see in his eyes now wasn't tenderness. It was something far more intense and the longer he gazed at her the faster her heart raced and the more butterflies she felt inside her stomach. She didn't know for sure of course, but it seemed like there was…_love_…living in his eyes.

He stopped swaying with her and cleared his throat just seconds later, however, before sighing: 'I think we should head back. People are going to start wondering where we are.'

When he took a step back from her she reached for his hand and took it in hers before shaking her head. 'We've been out here for five minutes at the most, Georg, and I…well, I was hoping that we could spend a little more time together before we go back and the guests all crowd around you again.' She saw his gaze soften again at her words and when he nodded at her she led him over to one of the benches within the gazebo by the hand.

The two of them then sat down together before he wound his arm around her shoulders and let her cuddle against him. 'Do you have even the slightest idea about when you'll be home?' She took hold of the lapel of his jacket after lying her head on his shoulder and looking up at him, Georg sighing in response as he held her close and kissed her hairline.

'All I know is that I'll be at sea for at least six months.' He said. 'I was almost out there for an entire year one time, but I doubt that I'll be gone for that long this time around. When I find out when I'm coming home I'll put it in a telegram, but the last thing I want is for you to start staring at the front door and praying that I'll walk in at any moment.'

She gave him a tearful smile whilst she nodded. 'I'm going to miss you so much.'

'I'm going to miss you too, but it's not forever,' He reminded her. 'Just remember that.'

'Can we just lie in bed together in the morning?' She asked. 'Since it's our final morning together for quite some time, all I want us to do is cuddle and eat our breakfast in bed and not think about how you'll be going the morning after. Please can we do that, Georg?'

Georg used his free hand to ease a blonde curl back beneath her ear. 'Of course, Maria.'

She shuffled closer to him then before brushing several soft kisses against his lips, the smack of their lips echoing in the silence of the gazebo when the two of them parted at last. Georg then caressed her cheek with the back of his hand before unwinding his arm from around her shoulders and taking her hand. 'We really should head back in.' He said.

'I know.' She replied, the sadness that she was feeling evident in her voice.

He offered her a smile before rising from the bench with her and lacing his arm around her waist, his lips finding the side of her head when she leaned against him once he had opened the door and led her back out into the garden. He then made certain to shut the door behind them before tightening his hold of her and walking her back to their house.

* * *

Maria stared at the side of her husband's neck whilst tracing patterns into the hairs on his chest as she laid in his arms in the aftermath of their lovemaking later that evening, her head resting on his shoulder whilst he stroked her back and their legs were tangled beneath the quilt. She had hoped that he would let her hold him again once he had made love to her, but when he had pulled her into his arms in an instant she had settled down.

It was clear to her from how tight he was holding her that it was important to him that she allowed him to hold her tonight. It would be months before he would be able to hold her to him again – before he would be able to feel her breath on his skin and her kiss on his lips – and she knew that he was making the most of it. She would miss drifting off in his arms each night, but she knew that he would miss having her close to him a lot more.

He was going to be so far from home when he went back to sea and – although she knew he would hide it – she knew that he was going to be terrified. Of course he would be; he was going to be taking part in a war, not spending the next six months on board a cruise! She knew that there was a chance that he would be killed in action when he left and she knew that he knew that as well, but neither one of them had wanted to chat about that.

The thought of him leaving home was hard enough.

Never mind the thought of him dying.

She tilted her head back against his shoulder once the two of them had laid together in silence for a little while longer, her foot running along his lower leg beneath the quilt as she smiled up at him and continued stroking the hairs on his chest. 'You mean everything to me and more, Georg; you do know that, don't you?' She asked in the softest of voices.

'I do,' He threaded his fingers through her hair before drawing her in for a languid kiss that left her breathless when he pulled back a little. 'And you mean just as much to me.' The two of them shared one last kiss, softer than the other, before he reached to turn off the lamp that was sat on his nightstand. 'I think we need to get a bit of rest, Maria.'

She nodded against his shoulder before burying her face in his neck and leaving several delicate kisses over the skin she found there. 'Goodnight, Georg.' She whispered to him.

'Goodnight.' He nuzzled her forehead with his lips.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence then and, in minutes, Georg was snoring. Before Maria allowed slumber to take her, however, she smiled into the side of his neck at knowing that she meant just as much to him as he meant to her. Neither of them had told the other that they loved them, but they hadn't needed to. Just knowing that they cared about one another so much was enough for now. Everything else would come later.

And she was prepared to be patient until that time came.

No matter how far in the future that would be.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for taking the time to read this chapter, I'm so grateful! I hope that you all enjoyed it as much as you've enjoyed the last two chapters and I also hope that you'll drop me a review to let me know what you thought. I'll see you all soon! x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hi! Thank you for coming back and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! :)**

* * *

He knew that he needed to leave her arms.

He knew that he needed to get up.

He knew that he needed to get dressed and freshen up so that Franz could drive him to the station, but he was so comfortable and Maria looked so peaceful as she dreamt with her head on his shoulder. The last thing he wanted to do at that moment was let her go. The two of them had made the most of their final day together the day before – they'd made love all morning and then gone out to dine that night – but he still longed for more.

More time to just lie in bed and hold her whilst she slept.

More time to feather soft kisses over her neck and shoulder to wake her.

Most of all, he wanted more time to just be around her.

For the next six months at least he was going to be apart from her. He wouldn't be able to see her or hear her voice or hold her. The feeling of her fingers running through the hairs on his chest as she drifted off would be a distant memory, as would the feeling of her hand in his and her kiss on his lips. He had never once imagined – when he had eased her wedding ring onto her finger – that he'd hate the thought of leaving her so terribly.

He hadn't even wanted this, for goodness sake.

He had become so fond of her over the last two weeks, however, and now he was unable to imagine his life without her. He couldn't imagine never hearing the sound of her voice again. She never stopped talking, that much was true, but her voice was so feminine and soft and he loved it so much that he didn't care. He loved listening to her talk almost as much as he loved listening to her sing. She had such a talent for it and it astounded him.

That was one of the things he was going to miss the most about her.

He was certain of it.

Sometime later, when the first signs of daylight crept into the room through the gap in the drapes, Maria stirred in his arms and nuzzled his neck before brushing a soft open- mouthed kiss against his skin and pulling back a little to look up into his eyes. 'There she is,' He breathed whilst stroking her face with the back of his hand. 'How did you sleep?'

'Well, thank you,' She cuddled against him. 'How about you?'

'Better than I have in ages,' He smiled. 'And better than I will for some time, I believe.'

She sighed in response. 'What time does your train arrive?'

'Half-past nine,' He ran his spare hand over his face whilst he yawned before turning his head toward his nightstand and looking at his alarm clock. 'So I suppose I should get up.' He turned his attention back to her then, his gaze falling to her lips whilst he stroked a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear before pressing a gentle kiss onto her lips.

When their kiss ended he removed his arm from around her and pulled back the quilt so that he could get out of bed, Maria leaning her pillow against the headboard before she settled back into it and watched him head over to the wardrobe. 'Georg,' She said after he had retrieved his uniform and returned to the bed to lie it all out over the foot of it. 'Would you mind if I came with you to the station so that I can see you off?' She asked.

He met her gaze whilst unbuttoning his nightshirt. 'No, I wouldn't mind. In fact, I'd love it if you came with me. I'll tell Franz to sit and wait in the motor-car so he can drive you back here afterwards.' His heart swelled at the smile she offered him whilst nodding in response and he was unable to resist the urge to return it with a warm smile of his own.

It didn't take him too long to finish getting dressed and, once he had pushed his jacket buttons through their holes, he turned back to his wife and said: 'I'll just go and get my things out of the en-suite whilst you get dressed.' He then walked towards the en-suite before entering the room to look for his things, Maria sighing as she slipped out of bed.

Even though she always tried to look as beautiful as possible for her husband, she would put in a little more effort for him this morning. She would style her hair rather than do a simple braid and she would take her time with her make-up rather than simply applying some mascara and lipstick to her eyelashes and lips. He had a photograph of her to take to sea with him, yes, but she wanted him to think back on their parting and smile a little.

She wanted to look as beautiful for him as she could.

And nothing would stop her from doing so.

* * *

She and Georg shared a smile when he opened the door for her after heading around to her side of the motor-car a little while later, her husband helping her to step out of the vehicle when she slipped her hand into his before he closed the door again and looked at Franz. 'Wait here until Maria comes back out. You'll be driving her home.' He said to him.

'Of course, Sir.' Franz replied.

Georg then slipped his fingers through the gaps in his wife's before leading her towards the train station and up the steps which led into it. Once the two of them were inside it he led her over to one of the benches near the tracks and sat down with her, his thumb caressing her knuckles as he laid their joined hands in his lap and allowed her to snuggle against him. 'You look incredible this morning, Maria.' He said whilst squeezing her hand.

'I…I thought I would make a bit of an effort for you.' She laid her head on his shoulder.

He smiled in response before letting go of her hand and wrapping an arm around her, his lips finding the centre of her forehead before he pressed a firm kiss onto it and let his thumb dance back and forth across her upper arm. 'The thought of coming home to find you here waiting for me is what makes all of this seem worth it. Knowing that as soon as I step foot off of the train I'll be drawing you into my arms and kissing you shamelessly.'

She chuckled at that before sliding her arm over his middle and curling her fingers into his jacket. The two of them then sat in a comfortable silence for a little while as people walked past them, Georg caressing his wife's arm with his fingers through the sleeve of her coat whilst Maria held him near. 'I bought you something when we were out shopping the other day,' He sighed after a short while. 'And I want you to have it before I leave.'

'What is it?' She asked after tilting her head back on his shoulder and looking up at him.

He reached into the pocket of his jacket with the hand that wasn't caressing her arm, a smile gracing his features as he pulled out a small, black, rectangular box and offered it to her. 'It's nothing too spectacular, but I wanted to get you something special before I left since we're going to be apart for so long.' He said to her before she shook her head, pecked his cheek tenderly, untied the ribbon that was around the box and lifted the lid.

She gasped as soon as her gaze landed on the gold locket that laid within the box.

It was the most beautiful piece of jewellery that she had ever seen, but it hadn't been the locket itself that had made her gasp. It had been the date engraved on the outside.

_26/11/1916_

Their wedding date.

It hadn't been the happiest day of her life like it should have been, that much was true, but having their wedding date engraved on the front of the locket that Georg had given to her would definitely remind her of him whenever she started to miss him. 'Oh, Georg, it's beautiful…' She whispered whilst running her thumb over the pendant, tears burning in her eyes when she lifted her gaze back to his and he caressed her face with his hand.

'Open it.' He told her.

She lifted the locket out of the box and did as he said, a smile curling her lips when she prised it open with her thumbnail and saw the photograph that was on the inside. It was a photograph of the two of them laughing at their wedding, but the photographer whom her father had haired must have taken it without them knowing. She couldn't remember what he had said to make her laugh, but knowing that there was at least one photograph from their wedding day where both of their smiles were genuine just warmed her heart.

'I love it…' She told him. 'I just love it.'

He breathed a sigh of relief. 'Would you like me to put it on you?'

'Yes please.' She nodded before allowing him to take the locket from her and turning.

He then put the gold chain around her neck before fastening the clasp at the base of it and taking her waist in his hands, his lips finding the back of her neck before he gave it several soft kisses. When he released her waist she turned to him again and seeing how beautiful the locket looked on her prompted a smile to form on his lips. 'So, I was right.'

'Right about what?' She inquired.

'I was right to think that the locket would suit you perfectly.' He said.

She giggled. 'I'm never taking this off. Not for a moment.'

'Good.' He took her hand in his before pressing his lips to the back of it.

Just moments later, the steam train that the two of them had been waiting for entered the station and they glanced at one another as it slowed to a halt. Georg then tightened his hold on Maria's hand before standing from the bench with her and guiding her in the direction of the train. When the two of them made it to the first-class carriage he was due to get on he turned to her and saw the tears that were pooling in her eyes. 'Maria…'

She shook her head. 'No, don't say anything. Just…just kiss me.'

He took her face in his hands then and permitted her to take a small step closer to him before he pressed his lips against hers, her hands coming to settle on his waist through his jacket so that she could hold him flush against her. He had intended to keep his kiss soft and chaste, but when he heard the little whimper that she released he brought her lips firmer against his and kissed her with all the passion that he was able to muster up.

Neither one of them cared that there were people shaking their heads in disapproval at their public display of affection whilst walking past them. The only thing that mattered to them both at that moment in time was making the most of their last minute together. When the sharp sound of a whistle being blown grasped their attention the two of them parted from their kiss, Georg leaning his forehead against Maria's as she held onto him.

'I have to go…' He said breathlessly.

'I know.' She panted.

'But Maria, I…' He stammered. 'I…'

She looked at him with hope in her eyes.

Was he finally going to tell her that he loved her?

He sighed and shook his head before saying: 'I'm going to miss you so much.'

'I'm going to miss you too,' She sniffed. 'Georg, I lo…'

The sound of the final whistle being blown cut her off before she could finish speaking.

'I'll write to you as soon as I can, all right?' He raised his brow whilst stroking her face.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she nodded.

He then pressed his lips against her forehead before getting onto the train and finding a seat, the two of them sharing a small smile when he looked at her through the window. In less than a minute the engine started and the train began to leave the station, Maria and Georg waving at one another until neither of them could see the other. She refused to move from her spot until the train had left the station, her heart sinking when it did.

Georg was gone.

She could still feel his kiss on her lips but she knew that that feeling would fade soon.

There would be no small-talk made at dinner that night.

There would be no cuddle on the settee before she went up to bed.

She would now be without Georg for at least six months and she had to accept that.

No matter how desperately she longed to deny it.

* * *

It was the late hours of that evening, not too far off midnight, when Maria was lying on her back in bed whilst staring up at the ceiling in silence. She had retired to bed almost as soon as she had eaten dinner, not knowing quite what to do with herself or seeing the point in staying up, but despite how hard she had tried she had found it impossible to go to sleep. The villa was too silent and she just couldn't seem to get warm under the quilt.

When she had gotten home from the train station after seeing Georg off that morning, her footsteps had echoed through the house when she had walked across the foyer and it had only added to her loneliness. When she had been eating dinner the knife and fork that she had used had knocked her plate and _that_ sound had echoed in the dead silence. She wasn't ashamed to admit that – when she had come to bed – a tear had left her eye.

One thing that brought her some happiness was knowing that her husband wasn't due to start fighting again until the morning. At that moment in time, even though she knew he wouldn't be asleep, she knew that he was safe and in bed in his ship and that comforted her a great deal. She was going to write her first telegram to him in the morning so that he received it as soon as possible. Although, she was unsure of what to write about yet.

She was sure that she would think of something.

When she rolled over onto her side her locket fell into view and she smiled whilst taking hold of the pendant, a sigh escaping her when she prised it open with her thumbnail and looked at the photograph of her and Georg that was on the inside. She then ran the pad of her thumb over her husband, her heart fluttering as she thought about how much he meant to her. 'Stay safe, my darling, please…' She whispered. 'I need you to come home.'

She then closed the locket before covering herself further with the quilt and beginning to settle down beneath it. There was nothing that she wanted more in that moment than to have Georg holding her from behind, her back flush against his chest whilst the both of them fell asleep together. She wondered if he was desiring the same thing as he laid in bed on his ship. Perhaps he was looking at her photograph and wishing he was with her.

She secretly hoped that he was.

He hadn't even been gone a day yet and, already, she was thinking about their reunion.

She couldn't wait for him to draw her into his arms as soon as he stepped off the train.

She couldn't wait for him to tell her that he had missed her before kissing her warmly.

Most of all, she couldn't wait to have him home with her.

When the two of them had been sat outside during the party that they had hosted the other night, Georg had told her that he didn't want her staring at the front door all the time and praying that he would come walking through it, and she wasn't going to do that.

That didn't mean that she wouldn't be counting down the days until his return, though.

As soon as he informed her of the date that he would be coming home to her she would be growing more and more excited with each passing day because he meant the absolute world to her. She adored him and there was nothing that made her feel happier than the thought of him coming home to her again once he had been granted leave from the navy.

Absolutely nothing…

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading this chapter and I hope that you all enjoyed it! I apologise if it seemed a little everywhere, but I've had a bit of writers block and this was the best that I could come up with at the moment. I promise that I'll try and make the next chapter longer for you all. Nevertheless, I hope that this was all right for you and that - if you have the time - you will leave me a review to let me know what you thought of it. I'll see you all soon! x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter five! I hope that you all enjoy it!**

* * *

_Dear Georg,_

_I won't lie and say that the last two months without you have been easy for me because they haven't. I've missed you terribly, as you know from the previous letters that I have sent, and whenever I see something that reminds me of you when I'm out strolling, it feels bittersweet. I understand that you have to do this however, truly I do, and there aren't words to describe just how proud I feel of you for serving for our country._

_One of the main reasons I wish that we weren't so far apart at this moment is because, just the other day, I received a telegram and found out the most exciting news. I was unsure about whether or not I should wait until I knew that things would be fine before sharing this news with you, but I feel as though you have just as much right to know as I do. I'm pregnant, Georg, we're going to be parents and I can't tell you how happy I am!_

_I remember how you said that you wanted everything to calm down somewhat before we brought a child into the equation, but I also remember how you said that – if I became pregnant due to our lovemaking – we would sit down together and have a long chat about things. I'm more than willing to talk and make plans with you when you're home on leave, but I do hope that – even though it's come as quite a shock – you're glad about the baby._

_That's enough about me now. _

_How are things? I know that you're not allowed to tell me where you are or what you're doing, but I do know that you're allowed to inform me of your health and whether or not you've been injured. Even though I know that you're brave and that you wouldn't do anything stupid, I still worry about you. Please, Georg, tell me how you are to put my mind at ease. I care for you so terribly and the thought of you hurt makes me feel sick._

_I know that you're busy and that you don't have time to just sit around and read letters from dawn until dusk and so I'll end this one here._

_I can't wait to have you back with me in a couple of months._

_I can't wait for you to rest your hands on my swollen stomach for the first time._

_Most of all, I can't wait to hold you in my arms and kiss you again._

_Please keep safe._

_Forever yours,_

_Maria._

As he folded the letter that his wife had written to him back up and slipped it back into the envelope that it had come in, Georg smiled like an idiot before tucking the envelope into his trouser pocket and leaning back against his pillow. He couldn't believe it. He was going to be a father. The thought of not being able to watch Maria go through all of the different changes that came with being pregnant saddened him a little, but the thought of potentially being in Austria when she gave birth lifted his spirits right back up again.

He had missed her so much over the last two months – had craved both her warmth and her touch – but he had remained faithful to her just like he had promised. A number of his men, along with Max, had tried to convince him to join them when they went to bars whenever they were permitted some shore leave, but every time he had felt the urge to do so he had taken a look at Maria's photograph and the urge had dissipated somewhat. He just needed to stay strong and remember his promise for the next few months or so.

He could do it.

He was certain of it.

* * *

'Has Georg been in contact with you at all since he left?' Hedwig, Georg's mother, asked Maria before taking a sip of her tea when she was sat opposite her in the drawing room.

'He has,' Maria nodded. 'He writes to me as often as he can.'

'And he's well?' Hedwig raised her brow.

'In his last letter he told me that he'd been experiencing some insomnia, but that other than that he was all right,' Maria replied. 'I haven't had anything from him in quite some time now, though, so I wrote to him a little over a week ago. It would've arrived by now.'

Hedwig looked at her for a moment. 'Did you mention the baby?'

'Yes, I did.' Maria said before lifting her teacup to her lips and taking a sip of her tea.

'Even though I specifically told you not to bother him with it?' Hedwig frowned.

Maria sighed. 'With all due respect, Hedwig, I don't have to follow your orders. You may be my mother-in-law, but you're not my mother and you don't have authority over me. If I want to inform my husband about something, even if you don't want me to, then I have the right to do so. I don't see how telling him about the baby would bother him, anyway.'

'Trust me, the last thing he'll want to do is throw himself into being a father the second he returns from war.' Hedwig scoffed before leaning back into the cushion on the chair.

'You know that for a fact, do you?' Maria asked.

'Yes,' Hedwig told her. 'I do.'

Maria ran her thumb around the rim of her teacup. 'Well, I think you're wrong.'

'My dear, you spent two weeks with him,' Hedwig reminded her. 'You hardly know him.'

'On the contrary,' Maria shook her head. 'I know rather a lot about him.'

'Enlighten me.' Hedwig pressed before sipping at her tea once again.

Maria set her teacup down on the little table beside the chair that she was sitting on. 'I know that he has a phobia of vomiting, I know his favourite season is summer, I know he suffers with a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder, I know that – sometimes – he still has nightmares about the time he spent in the disgraceful boarding school that you and his father sent him to…' She clasped both of her hands in her lap. 'Need I continue?'

Hedwig looked at her in silence.

'I'm not saying that I know more about him than you do, but I know more about him than you _think_ I do,' Maria went on. 'I know that he'll be exhausted and that there's a chance that he might be injured when he returns from war, but I also know that – if the baby's arrived before then – he _will_ want to throw himself into being a father and he _will_ adore our son or daughter.' She then took hold of her cup of tea again before slowly sipping it.

'I can tell I won't get through to you,' Hedwig shook her head. 'So believe what you want.'

'I will.' Maria reassured her before the two of them fell into silence.

She had never known another person to irritate her as much as Georg's mother did. The two of them, from the moment they had met, had never succeeded in seeing eye-to-eye on anything and she highly doubted that that would change all that much as time passed.

If she was honest, though, she didn't care all that much.

She didn't find the thought of being friends with such a bitter woman appealing anyway.

Hedwig had just told her to believe what she wanted about Georg and about how he would react to the sight of her heavily pregnant or holding their child in her arms when he got home from war, and she was happy to do just that. She knew how he was going to react.

She knew that he was going to be pleased.

She knew that he was going to feel ecstatic.

But, most of all, she knew that he was going to make the most incredible father.

* * *

_My Maria,_

_These first two months have been just as difficult for me as they have been for you, I won't deny that. I miss everything about you. I miss the sound of your footsteps, the sound of your laughter and the sound of your voice when you sing. The thing that I miss the most about you, however, is holding you in my arms at night. I crave your warmth, your warm and soft breath against my neck and your arm slung loosely over my stomach._

_I too, when I go for a stroll whenever I and the others are permitted shore leave on occasion, see things that remind me of you. Just the other afternoon, I saw a rose covered with raindrops and longed to tell you. I remember how you once told me that raindrops on roses are one of your favourite things. There are so many more things that I want to learn about you, my sweet one, and that I want you to learn about me._

_I hope that we can do that when I come home to you._

_In regard to the wonderful news that you told me, I don't want you think for a moment that I was disappointed or upset when I read your words. Maria, I was overjoyed and I've yet to stop smiling whenever I remember that you and I are going to be parents in a matter of months! I can't wait to see you with our child nestled in your arms. There isn't another woman on earth who deserves news like this as much as you. You have such a great capacity to love and I am certain that you're going to shower our baby with it._

_I know that I'm not going to be with you for a good deal – if not all – of your pregnancy, but whenever you suffer from morning sickness, a sore back or a migraine, know that I'm more than proud of you for being so strong. I don't know if you're scared or not, but if you are I want you to know that you have no need to be. You're resilient, Maria, and you are more than brave enough to get through whatever this pregnancy throws at you._

_As for me, Maria, there is no need for you to be worried because there's nothing wrong with me. I'll admit that I had a bit of a cold a few days ago, but it was nothing serious and I'm the picture of health now. I've not suffered from any injuries thus far, but the other week I lost a few of my best men which has been hard, but we're managing well._

_I am incredibly busy, yes, but I am never too busy to read a letter from you._

_These letters are the things keeping me going until I can see you again._

_Until I, like you say, can hold and kiss you once more._

_I promise to keep safe and to not do anything reckless, Maria._

_With affection,_

_Georg._

Once he had finished composing his letter to his wife that evening, Georg placed his pen down on the desk at the end of his bed and leaned back in his chair. He then tapped his fingertips against his thigh several times before going into his trouser pocket in search of Maria's photograph. He was unable to keep himself from smiling when he looked at it. To say that she was simply beautiful was an understatement. She was an absolute vision.

Running his thumb over her cheek, he thought about how soft her skin had felt beneath his palm whenever he had cupped it. It was a simple sign of his affection for her, but it spoke volumes and he knew that she loved the sensation. He ran his thumb slowly across her lips next, fondly recalling the many times he had done so in person before leaning in to kiss her. Oh, how he wished he could take her in his arms now and do that very thing.

He missed her more than he could ever hope to put into words and, now he was aware of the fact that she was with child, he longed to be at home with her all the more. He was being stupid, he knew that, but he felt a pang of guilt whenever he realised that he had practically abandoned her to experience her first pregnancy alone. His mother was with her, of course, but he knew that neither one of them were all that fond of one another.

Pushing back his chair and rising from it after blowing out the candle, he released a sigh and walked over to his nightstand. He then placed the photograph of Maria down so that he could remove his uniform and get changed into his nightclothes which laid on his bed.

It didn't take him too long to do so and, before he knew it, he was reclining back against the headboard of his bed and covering himself with his quilt. Once he was comfortable, he reached for his wife's photograph once more before feeling his heart swell within his chest as he took another look at it. 'You beautiful, wonderful girl,' He whispered. 'Please don't worry about me. That is the worst thing you can do. Just…just look after yourself.'

Obviously, he knew that she couldn't hear him.

He prayed, however, that she was all right.

He prayed that she had managed to find peace this night.

And when – miles away from him – Maria's lips curled into a soft smile as she slept with one hand on her still-flat belly, it seemed as though both of his prayers had been answered.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter and I hope that you all liked it! Once again, writers block hit and this was the best that I could do, but the next chapter should be better and won't be filled with letters! A familiar face is also going to be making an appearance soon, so I hope your all excited/interested about that! As per usual, if you have the time I would be so grateful if you would leave me a review to let me know what you thought! Reviews make my day. Thank you again and I'll see you all next time :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Thank you all for coming back for this chapter! I hope that you all enjoy it :)**

* * *

It was the morning after next when Maria and her mother, Augusta, were sat together on the settee in the sitting room of the villa, the two of them sipping at their tea and discussing all of the changes that had happened over the previous two months. 'I understand that the two of you didn't have much time together before he went back to sea, but did Georg take care of you before he left?' Augusta asked her.

'He did,' Maria nodded before taking a sip of her tea. 'I felt sick with nerves on our wedding night, but he was so patient and gentle with me and if I didn't want to do something then he didn't pressure me. I'll admit that things were somewhat…awkward…between us at first because neither of us knew what to talk about, but things got easier with time and we've grown closer than I ever imagined we would.'

Augusta smiled. 'How are you managing? Now that he's gone?'

'I miss him, of course I do, but I just keep telling myself that he's fighting for me as well as Austria and that helps,' Maria sighed. 'Nights are the most difficult because that's when I overthink and wonder if he's been wounded or killed in action. That's what I hate the most about all of this…not knowing how he is.' She felt her mother wrap an arm around her waist when she shuffled closer to her on the settee.

After kissing her temple, Augusta let her daughter rest her head on her shoulder before tightening her hold of her. The two of them sat in silence together for quite a while after that, Augusta sighing as she buried her nose in Maria's auburn hair and breathed in her scent. It made her heart ache to know that her little girl was struggling. She wished now that she had tried harder to change her husband's mind.

She wished that she had refused to let him practically _sell _their daughter.

How could she have done that without receiving a beating in return though?

Knowing that her daughter no longer had to receive those same beatings was the one thing that made her smile whenever she thought about her marriage to Georg. Karl had such a foul temper and if, back when Maria had been little, she had made a mess or broken something he had gone mad and whacked her. She had been such a sweet child, however, and so she had forgiven him whenever he'd apologised.

His apologies had never meant anything though.

He hadn't stopped beating either one of them for ridiculous things.

'My baby girl…' She whispered before pressing a kiss to the crown of her head and tracing the curve of her waist gently with her hand. 'I know that you're scared and I know that things aren't the best right now, but I promise you that things are going to start looking up. When bad thoughts enter your head, just replace them with nice ones. There has to be _something_ that you're looking forward to, my darling.'

Maria lifted her head off of her mother's shoulder at that before smiling. 'Well, there is _something…'_

'And what's that?' Augusta raised her brow.

After taking a deep breath and leaning forward to set her teacup and saucer down on the table, Maria took one of her mother's hands in hers and rested it on her lower abdomen. 'I'm going to have a baby…' She felt tears of happiness spring to her eyes when her mother gasped and a warm smile spread across her lips, a giggle escaping her when her mother leaned in to press her lips to her cheek in a gentle kiss.

'Oh, sweetheart, congratulations!' Augusta exclaimed. 'When did you find out?'

'A little over a week ago,' Maria told her. 'I would have written, but I wanted to tell you in person.'

Augusta's heart swelled in her chest as she lifted her hand off of her daughter's stomach before resting it on her cheek, nothing but love for her in her eyes when she started to run her thumb back and forth over her skin. 'You are going to make the most incredible mother,' She said whilst shaking her head in disbelief that she was saying those words. 'You have such a perfect heart, Maria, and you deserve this.'

'I'm a little nervous.' Maria admitted.

'That's normal,' Augusta soothed. 'When I found out that I was pregnant with you I was terrified, but I was so excited at the same time because I had been hoping and praying for a baby for so many years.'

Maria blessed her with a smile. 'Will you help me? I don't have the first clue about what I'm supposed to do, so will you teach me how to change the baby's cloth and how to bathe it when the time comes?'

'Of course I will,' Augusta nodded. 'You don't have to be worried about a thing, I promise, because I'm going to be here to help you with everything.' She gave Maria's hair a light stroke with the palm of her hand, the love that she had for her deepening when she heard the sigh of relief that her daughter gave.

'Hedwig said that I shouldn't have bothered Georg with it.' Maria said after a few moments.

'Don't you listen to a word she says,' Augusta groaned. 'I've never known a more supercilious woman.'

Maria leaned against her. 'I don't know what I've done to make her hate me so much.'

'You haven't done _anything,'_ Augusta reassured her. 'Some people are just plain nasty, Maria.'

'I'm so glad I have you,' Maria admitted. 'I think I'd go insane if she was all I had.'

Augusta giggled. 'Well, you never have to be worried about that. I'll never leave you.'

'I know you won't,' Maria snuggled further into her with a satisfied sigh. 'I love you so much, mother.'

'I love you too, my sweet, _sweet _girl…' Augusta kissed her softly on the forehead. 'I love you too.'

* * *

The late afternoon breeze that entered the bedroom through the open window was what eased Maria out of her light slumber a couple of hours later, a sigh escaping her when she opened her eyes before a smile graced her features when her gaze landed on the note that her mother had left on the nightstand.

**I thought that I would go home so that you could rest.**

**I'm just a telephone call away if ever you need me though, my darling.**

**I love you.**

After reading the note and feeling her heart swell with love for her mother, Maria rolled onto her back and brushed her hair out of her face before lowering her hand to her stomach. She looked down at her stomach whilst she brushed her thumb against it through her nightgown, nothing but pure happiness living in her eyes as she thought about how her little one was busy developing deep within her womb.

Her first child.

She was pregnant with her and Georg's first child.

Ever since the doctor had confirmed it after she had gone to see him with complaints about headaches and nausea, she had begun to daydream about what her child would look like when it arrived. Would it have a little or a lot of hair? Would it have Georg's deep blue eyes or her lighter ones? Truth be told, she didn't care if her son or daughter looked more like Georg. She was going to love it no matter what.

She couldn't wait to hold her baby in her arms for the first time once she had pushed it into the world. She couldn't wait to sooth it with shushes and kisses to its forehead whilst it wailed for the first time. Most of all, however, she couldn't wait to see the pride on Georg's face when he walked into the room after the birth and saw her sat up in bed with their firstborn in her arms. It was going to be so perfect.

Perhaps that would be the moment he told her that he loved her for the first time.

She could just imagine it.

She would tell him to come and join her and their child on the bed and he would do so before slipping an arm around her shoulders. Then, she would snuggle into his warmth and tell him the gender of the baby before resting her head on his shoulder and letting him kiss her temple. After that, she would sit in silence whilst he bonded with their child before he would turn to her and sigh: 'I love you so much.'

She didn't know whether things would go like that, of course, but she would be so pleased if they did.

After thinking about the future for a little while longer she turned her head on her pillow, a quiet sigh escaping her lips when she saw that it was nearing 5:00. She had told Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper, to tell Cook that she would eat dinner earlier that evening because she wanted to go to church so that she could say a prayer for Georg. Dinner was to be served at half-past five and so she needed to get up.

She stared up at the ceiling for the next couple of minutes, not quite wanting to abandon the bed, but soon enough she drew back the quilt and made herself get up. She then straightened up the bed again before running a hand through her hair and going over to the wardrobe on the far side of the bedroom. When she opened it she realised there was no reason to dress up and so she pulled out a simple dress.

She then shut the wardrobe door before carrying the dress that she had chosen over to the bed, a little smile curling her lips when she noticed that it was the dress that she had been wearing on the evening she and Georg had met. It had been obvious that he had liked it because he hadn't managed to tear his gaze off of her all night. Knowing that it was one of his favourite dresses on her made her heart flutter.

'_Perhaps I could wear it when I go and meet him at the station when he comes home…' _She thought to herself.

When she realised that she had to get a move on if she didn't want to be late down to dinner, she took off her nightgown and laid it on the foot of the bed before picking up her dress and slipping it on over her head. She then tied the sash in a secure bow around her waist whilst walking toward her dressing table, a sigh escaping her when she sat down on the chair and began to comb the knots out of her hair.

It didn't take long for her to do a French braid with her hair and put on some light make up, and after rising from her chair she went to her wardrobe once again and reached for the pair of blue pumps that matched her dress. She then slid both feet into her shoes before walking over to her full-length mirror and running her hands down the front of her dress to smooth out the creases. 'There…' She whispered.

One of the things she missed the most about Georg was how he would approach her from behind and wrap his arms around her middle whenever she was stood at the mirror. She missed him covering her neck with kisses and telling her how gorgeous she was whilst doing so. She missed him stooping ever so slightly and resting his chin on her shoulder so that he could meet her gaze in the mirror and smile.

She missed feeling surrounded by him most of all.

He was much taller than her and so whenever he slipped his arms around her he made her feel so safe.

She couldn't wait to know that feeling again.

After a couple of minutes, she shook her head to snap herself out of her thoughts before smoothing her hands down the front of her dress again, sighing, and turning to exit the room and go down to dinner.

* * *

After finishing the rest of his scotch whilst sat on a stool at the bar, Georg set his glass down atop the counter before turning to watch Max sit at a table with a dark-haired French girl. It seemed as though she had taken quite a liking to him as well, considering she laughed and caressed his arm whenever he said something to her. He could remember Maria doing the exact same thing to him before he had left.

The two of them had been sat together on the settee after supper one evening, Maria relaxed in his lap and him holding her close to her, and she had been absentmindedly caressing his arm whilst speaking to him about something or other. He had made her laugh several times that evening and each time she had given his arm the smallest squeeze. It was little things like that that he missed the most about her.

Even though he had agreed to go with Max and the others to the bar when they had asked him earlier that evening, he had still managed to remain faithful to Maria. Four women had approached him since he had arrived and each time he had asked them to leave him be. It had been hard to do, of course, but he wouldn't break the promise that he'd made to his wife. Especially not now that she was expecting.

'Can I get you anything else, Captain?' The bartender's voice brought him back to the present.

Georg thought for a moment after looking at the man, but then made the decision to return to his ship since Max and his other men were all off somewhere with the women they had met. 'No, I don't think so.' He shook his head before the bartender nodded and turned to serve a man at the far end of the bar.

Once he had picked up his hat he rose from the bar stool and started to walk toward the door that led out of the bar, but just as he was about to reach for the door handle the door opened and a young lady walked through it. The two of them looked at one another once she had stepped into the bar and, the moment their eyes met, Georg felt his heart hammer inside his chest as he knew exactly who she was.

'A…Agathe…?' He stammered.

Agathe clasped her gloved hands in front of her before a blush rose in her cheeks as she offered him the tiniest smile.

'Hello, Georg…' She whispered. 'It's been a while…'

* * *

**Author's Note: So...Agathe's alive in this fic and she and Georg have reunited! What happened with them in the past though? Will reuniting with Agathe make Georg forget his promise to Maria? Keep on reading to find out the answer! I want to thank you all for reading this chapter and please, if you have the time, leave a little review as I love them so much! See you soon! x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Welcome back everyone, I hope that you enjoy!**

* * *

'_Hello, Georg…' She whispered. 'It's been a while…'_

Georg stood in silence in front of her for a few seconds after that, not quite knowing how to respond, his heart still pounding within his chest as he gazed into her deep brown eyes. Even now, after seven years of hearing nothing from or about her, he still found himself becoming lost in them. Shaking his head to snap himself out of his daze, he lowered his gaze to her lips which didn't help in the slightest.

He could still remember how soft they had been against his own whenever he had kissed her.

He could still remember how they had roamed over his neck and throat and chest with such ease.

His favourite thing about courting her all those years ago had been having the right to kiss her.

Their kisses had always been so languid and drugging and she had never been able to resist the urge to thread her fingers through his hair. The feeling of her lips beneath his and her fingernails grazing his scalp had been incredible and – as he thought back to those times now – he started to crave them. _'Pull yourself together, man!' _He scolded himself. _'You have a wife and unborn child waiting back at home!'_

When, once again, he shook his head to force himself back to the present he saw the small smirk that had crept across Agathe's lips. He knew that it was clear to her what he had been thinking about and when he looked at her again he offered her a smile. 'You look well,' She told him whilst returning his smile. 'What brings you to Paris? The navy? Or is it because your mother is driving you mad again?'

'A mixture of the two,' He smirked. 'But what about you? I thought that you moved back to England after…after you got sick and we called off our courtship.' He heard the deep sigh that Agathe let out.

After looking at the carpet beneath their feet for a moment. Agathe met his gaze once again and said: 'Let me buy you a drink. It's rather a long story and I've been out all afternoon, so I'm ready for one.'

'I'll get them,' He shook his head. 'It's the least I can do after how I treated you before we parted.'

Agathe rested a hand on his arm before reminding him: 'We were both as bad as each other.'

The two of them then shared a small smile before turning and walking into the chaotic bar together.

* * *

Once she was certain that she wasn't going to vomit again, Maria reached up and pulled on the toilet chain before leaning back against the wall of the en-suite and running a hand through her loose hair. It was at times like these that she wished her husband was at home with her and not miles out at sea. She wished that he had been there to hold her hair out of her face and stroke her back to comfort her whilst she had vomited, but he hadn't and not having his support had made her heart sink somewhat.

She had never been pregnant before, but she was positive that it was a part of life that she was meant to share with Georg. He was meant to be there to see how her stomach grew over the next couple of months and bond with their unborn child. He was meant to be there to caress her stomach and laugh whenever their baby kicked. It was something that the two of them were supposed to experience as a couple, but she doubted that that would happen. She doubted he would even be back before the birth.

It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see her husband bond with their little one after the birth, because she was. The thought of being able to watch Georg hold their son or daughter in his arms and kiss it thrilled her, but she also wanted him to be at home whilst she was still pregnant. She knew that, if he was home whilst she was still pregnant, the bond that the two of them shared would be far stronger. Perhaps he would even fall in love with her if he saw just how well she was coping with the changes.

She sat in silence on the floor of the en-suite for a couple more minutes before getting to her feet and walking over to the sink. She then took the glass that was sat on it and filled it up with water so that she could remove the horrid taste from her mouth. Once she had done so she set the glass back down and walked over to the door that led back to the bedroom, a soft yawn escaping her as she made sure to turn off the light before she left the room and ran a hand over her face whilst walking back to bed.

It didn't take long for her to get settled again after slipping between the sheets, but before she closed her eyes and started to drift off she took the photograph that was on her nightstand in her hand. She had always loved that photograph of her husband – the photograph of him in his naval uniform – and she couldn't help but smile as she ran her thumb over his face. 'I hope you know just how proud I am of you,' She said. 'You're doing so well, sweetheart, and I feel as though I'm the proudest wife living.'

She pressed a kiss onto the glass pane once she had stopped talking before returning the photograph to her nightstand and turning off the lamp. After that, she settled down beneath the quilt and sighed into the darkness. She missed Georg so much – of course she did – but there wasn't a single word to explain how proud of him she was and she doubted that that was going to change much in the future.

She would _always_ be proud of him.

And there was nothing that anyone could say or do to change that.

Absolutely _nothing._

* * *

'So…' Georg said when he and Agathe were sat together at a table. 'What brought you to Paris?'

Agathe took a sip of her cider before setting it down and sighing. 'When I made it to England, father took one look at me and telephoned the doctor. It turned out that I didn't have a virus like I was told by doctor Fischer…I was suffering from scarlet fever. The doctor telephoned for an ambulance and I was rushed to hospital. Mother and father were both terrified that I was going to end up succumbing to it, but it was caught in time and after about eight weeks of treatment in hospital I was sent home.'

She was able to see the concerned look Georg was giving her.

'There was no lasting impact and I'm right as rain now, so there's no need to be worried,' She placed her hand over his on the table and gave it a stroke. 'When I was let out of hospital, I started to court a man named Frank and things were fine for a while. After around…four months…however, I ended up pregnant with his child and he was furious. He said that I had to get rid of it and that, if I refused, he would take matters into his own hands.' She gazed down at her lap when tears burned in her eyes.

'I knew that what he was asking me to do was illegal and that there was a 50/50 chance that I would die if I did it, so I told him that I couldn't,' She forced herself to look at Georg again. 'He hated being told no, so he hit me and told me that he was going to speak to a woman he knew and get me booked in for an appointment. I knew that if I hadn't had left then he would have made me go, even if he had had to drag me there,' She took a deep breath. 'So I went straight home and packed up all my things.'

Georg felt his heart shatter in his chest as he looked at her.

Agathe was one of the gentlest, most loving women he had ever met.

She hadn't deserved to go through the slightest bit of that.

'I never told mother and father because I knew that I'd just get an earful, so I left when both of them were out and went to the station to catch the next train to Paris.' She sighed. 'I wrote to mother and said that I just needed to have a couple of weeks alone. I then spent the following two months with a friend before finding a small apartment. A couple of weeks after I moved in there, however, I lost the baby and I thought about going home but then I realised that Frank would no doubt hunt me down.'

Georg took a sip of his scotch before saying: 'So you're just…alone…now?'

'It's not too bad,' She shrugged. 'I have a bed to sleep in each night and a roof over my head, which is something that a lot of people don't have. The one thing I don't like is not having anyone to chat to.'

Georg chuckled. 'You could stop talking.'

She giggled in response. 'How's life treating you at the moment? Is there…someone special?'

'See for yourself,' He smiled whilst pulling Maria's photograph from his pocket and passing it to her.

She took one look at the black and white image before beaming. 'Goodness me, she's so beautiful!'

'She is,' He agreed. 'She's eighteen though, so there are _some_ people who aren't too fond of her.'

She smirked. 'You mean your _mother _isn't too fond of her?'

'Precisely.' He nodded.

She gave him back the photograph before taking another sip of her drink. 'I don't believe age has too much of a role to play in a relationship. As long as the two of you make each other happy and as long as you love each other, that's all that should matter.' She heard him clear his voice just seconds later. 'What?' She frowned whilst he pushed the photograph of his wife safely back into his trouser pocket.

'It was an arranged marriage,' He sighed. 'Father told me that it was high time that I married and he threatened to fabricate a rumour about me if I disagreed. A rumour that – I believe – I wouldn't have survived. Maria's father lied to me when I paid him. He said that she was a couple of days away from her twentieth birthday, but when I met her for the first time I found out that she had turned eighteen a week earlier. There was nothing I could do about it either, because everything had been sorted out.'

Agathe looked at him in slight disbelief.

'She was terrified.' He told her.

'She must have been, the poor girl,' She shook her head. 'She's still a child.'

He nodded. 'I have to admit though, she's an incredible young woman and she does make me happy.'

'I'm glad,' Agathe reached over the table to stroke his cheek. 'You deserve nothing but happiness…'

The two of them looked at one another in silence for a time as she continued to stroke his cheek and, when she drew her hand back, his gaze fell to her lips. Even though there was a table between them, it would be so simple to lean over and press his lips to hers. 'Georg…' Agathe's whisper managed to bring him back to the present, 'I know what's going through your mind right now and…and I admit that I want the same thing, but it just wouldn't be right or fair to Maria.' She shook her head slowly.

He knew that she was right.

'Can I at least hold you one more time? I have no idea whether or not I'll see you again.' He replied.

She blushed. 'I suppose that would be all right.'

She rose from her chair then and walked around to where he was sat before sitting down on his knee and sliding her arms around his neck, the two of them sharing a smile when he laced his own around her waist. 'This feels nice…' She admitted whilst stroking the hairs she found at the nape of his neck.

'It does,' He agreed. 'I used to hold you like this all the time.'

'I remember,' She sighed. 'I miss it sometimes.'

He removed one arm from around her waist and lifted his hand to ease a blonde curl back behind her ear, her eyes drifting closed at the contact before he ran the back of his hand down her cheek. 'Please don't do that again, Georg.' She shook her head without opening her eyes when he lowered his hand.

'You used to love it when I did that…' He whispered, 'and when I did this…'

He pressed his lips to her temple in a soft kiss.

'Georg…' She warned when she opened her eyes and looked at him. 'I won't let you do this.'

He ran his hand along the length of her back through her blouse. 'Do what?'

'I won't let you wreck your relationship with Maria,' She told him. 'I know that I don't know her, but I know that that poor girl has had to go through more over the last two months than anyone her age should. She's had to leave her family, marry a total stranger, become a Baroness and now she's alone. I miss you, of course I do,' She ran her hand over his hair. 'But I'm not going to let you kiss me when I know that it'll break Maria's heart. You don't have to adore her, but please…please don't hurt her.'

She watched him think about what she had said for a moment before she gave his cheek a chaste kiss. 'I think I should head home now, but I promise you that this isn't going to be the last we see of each other. Next time you feel like hosting a ball or a dinner or something, telephone or write to me and I swear that I'll make arrangements to attend. I'd love to get to know Maria and it would be so nice to see some old friends again.' She sighed at the look on his face. 'Please will you do something for me?'

'Anything,' He reassured her. 'Just name it.'

She smiled. 'Tell me three things that you love the most about Maria.'

'Three things?' He asked.

'Three things.' She echoed.

He thought for a second before looking into her eyes again.

'She's supportive, she always knows how to cheer me up and she's got the largest heart.' He revealed.

Agathe smiled. 'I want you to remind yourself of those things whenever a woman makes advances or whenever you feel the urge to be unfaithful to Maria. There are thousands upon thousands of women on this earth, Georg, and somehow you found her. Please remember just how blessed you are to have done that. I don't want your relationship with her to be ruined, but it won't last if you spend all your time in the arms of other women whilst you're not with her. I mean that, Georg, that will destroy it.'

'You're right.' He nodded in understanding.

'To be honest,' She continued. 'This is the happiest I've ever seen you and it has to be because of her.'

'Ever since I married her, I…I have to admit that I've not felt so low.' He said.

'There you are, then,' She beamed. 'She's having a positive impact on you, Georg, and you know that.'

He chuckled. 'I don't understand how you can care for Maria so much when you don't know her.'

'You don't have to know someone to care about them,' She pointed out. 'Maria's a woman, just like I am, and I'm just thinking about how I would feel if the man I married always turned to other women when he was apart from me. I would hate it and him and I feel as though Maria would feel the same.'

Georg smiled at her for a few seconds. 'I don't want to hurt her or ruin what we've built together.'

'Then mind what I say,' She told him. 'If you try to always put her first in your life, you'll be fine.'

He nodded.

'Now, I really do have to go,' She laughed. 'I promised my friend, Camille, that I'd pop in to see her.'

She got off of his knee and stood up before walking back around to her side of the table to get her hat and her bag. 'I meant what I said, Georg, telephone me if ever you host another party or something.'

'I will, I promise.' He reassured her.

After blessing him with a gentle smile she turned to leave, but turned back when he called her name.

'Yes?' She raised her brow at him.

'Thank you…for the talk,' He said. 'You've helped me far, _far_ more than you think you have.'

'I'm so glad,' She sighed with relief. 'Auf wiedersehen, Georg.'

He smiled with a nod. 'Auf wiedersehen, Agathe.'

She then turned on her heel and headed out of the bar with her bag swinging from where it hung off of her wrist, Georg sighing when the door shut behind her and he leaned back against his seat. 'Who was that?' He turned his head in Max's direction when he reached his table after a couple of minutes.

'A friend,' He informed him. 'A very, _very _good friend…'

* * *

Georg smiled to himself as he looked at Maria's photograph whilst lying on his back in bed later that evening, his gaze fixed on her beautiful face whilst he held the photograph in his hand and smoothed his thumb over the image. Ever since his conversation with Agathe at the bar that night, his wife had been at the forefront of his mind. He had thought about how incredible it was going to be to go home to her – and perhaps their firstborn also – and just hold her against his chest and kiss her lovely face.

Whenever he thought about how he had acted toward Agathe at the bar – how he had shown her the affection that was meant for Maria and no-one else – he felt ashamed. If she hadn't had had used that firm tone with him and if she had accepted his caresses and his kiss, he knew he would have ended up taking things further. He would have to tell Maria about his mistake when he went home to Austria. The truth would come our sooner or later, and he didn't want to make things worse by concealing it.

He just hoped that she would forgive him and that the two of them would be able to simply move on.

When he focused his attention on the photograph of his wife again, he looked at her stomach and ran his thumb over it before thinking about how their first child was safely growing there. He knew that she would start showing in around three months' time and the mere thought of that made him smile. Her stomach would be large and round to accommodate their child and even though she would think that she looked awful, he would never be able to see her as anything other than completely beautiful.

He couldn't stop thinking about what Agathe had said to him back at the bar.

About how she had told him that his marriage to Maria wouldn't last if he didn't have self-control.

That had struck a cord within him and her words sounded even louder in his head now as he studied Maria's photograph. The thought of losing such a beautiful woman – of never being able to wake up beside her or hear her laugh again – made his heart shatter. Even though he hadn't spent more than a fortnight with her so far, he still couldn't imagine his life without his wife as a part of it any longer. He knew that he had to have much more self-control and he was determined to do that from now on.

For her.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading this chapter and I hope that it was enjoyable! I hope that the conversation between Georg and Agathe made sense and that I didn't ramble on too much! I would be so grateful if - if you have the time - you drop me a review to let me know what you thought. I'll see you all next time :) x**


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